TheExpedition

Katırga is an old-fashioned ride with a single piston, single carb engine, free from all high-tech gadgetry. In fact, other than her very recently added plastic implants and some make-up to hide her age, she's essentially the same KLR 650 Kawasaki introduced in 1987.

Prior to the journey, my impression of Latin America was pretty, um, gringo-esque: Mexico was dangerous but had good food, Central America was as bad without the food, and entering Colombia would mean getting kidnapped or killed. And if I didn't make it to Ushuaia before April, I would freeze to death trying. Clearly, this was going to be a picnic.

A graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography, and a contributor of Corbis and Getty Images, Serdar is a freelance photographer whose visuals are routinely published around the world for uses ranging from editorials to advertising campaigns. One of his images from this expedition was recently on the cover of a National Geographic Traveler edition.

The Numbers

8

Rear Tyres

3

Front Tyres

10

Repairs

4

Flats

0

Accidents

5

Bribes

0

Robberies

4

Fevers

The Sponsors

To travel is to discover thateveryone is wrongabout other countries.Aldous Huxley

TheMoments

It's reallythe peoplethat makethe places,and I seem to have only been tothe very best.

I'm not sure whether if I was inspired as much as scared into doing it. At one point I realized that my last ten years had gone by in the blink of an eye, with little more than work and daily routine; so I got terrified by the idea of blinking again. That's when I asked myself what it was I really wanted to do with my one and only life time before it rapidly passed me by, and the answer seemed to come instantly.

Now we really are in FAQ territory! This one is almost up there with "que cilindraje es?", lol. If you're saying "give it to me in two paragraphs so I can rate, label, and put it away in my head"... I'm afraid I really can't. But scroll down to see an attempt in the Q&A with Rory.

Republished below is an interview with Rory Moulton, originally featured on the online travel publication, The Vagabond List.

Not really. But before the trip, I remember looking back, to remember the last time I'd done something unforgettable for myself. It was another motorcycle trip I'd done when I was 22, from Istanbul to St.Tropez. I've always loved motorcycles and open roads. They can get you anywhere, and get you away from anything, including your mind.

I think Pirsig's book has been inspirational in my life on many levels, but it has little to do with motorcycles really. On the other hand, perhaps this journey had little to do with them as well.

You know, after such a long journey, most questions that start with "the most" seem to be the hardest ones to answer. You pile up many equally memorable experiences, and in time even the most stressful one may turn into a pleasant memory.

Nevertheless, it's easier to tackle the question of tough ones, because there really wasn't that many to begin with. Getting a flat at night in the mountains of Chiapas, getting lost off the map somewhere in Peru then having engine failure, and some other mishaps have all become fun and fond memories. But I think the time a Peruvian Consul turned me around from the border and assured me that I was not entering Peru will always remain a bad memory. It would have literally ended the journey as there's no way of going around Peru. In the end, I was delayed for a few days, but another consul in another city helped me out.

Not as scary a story as you'd expect eh? Seriously, if people knew how much b.s. the TV feeds us, everyone would hit the road.

The bike is a key component of course, and was chosen for its sheer simplicity. One thing I sure didn't want to deal with in far away places was an unnecessarily complicated vehicle. Had to be something basic, with very few things that can fail, and easily repairable, by myself for the most part. The Kawasaki KLR 650 fit the description perfectly. Unfortunately the build quality proved pretty poor. Nevertheless, can't complain after 40.000 miles on a $6000 motorcycle.

The photographic equipment made up the bulk of my cargo. I was carrying 2 SLR bodies, 3 lenses, 1 flash, 1 compact, 1 tripod, 1 suction mount, remotes, underwater housing, laptop, back-up drives, plus the camera rig on the bike, so at times it felt more like riding a two-wheeled truck. I also had camping gear of course. Never had a problem with theft or robbery, except the one time in a hostal where some other traveler stole my earphones, lol. The panniers and the top case were hard-shell lockable type, so that provided some comfort when I had to leave the bike unattended for short durations.

I knew I would get back with lots of new images, but a book, I'd never even thought of. The images probably would've been handed over to my agents as stock visuals, and perhaps a few magazine editorials would come out of it.

The book idea actually came about with the introduction of iPad, which coincidentally took place at the end of the journey. Here was a device that would make publishing a book possible without the limitations and complications of the conventional print route. But before I could even think about the book, I'd first have to edit and process thousands of images, and that alone was a major part of the work.

Although I had some experience producing interactive content, developing for the iOS was completely new. But there was one very important factor that made it so appealing: for the first time ever, I'd have complete control over the user experience. No more display gamma factors, screen size variations, or hardware/software compatibility concerns. I basically had two devices to support, and what worked would always work exactly as intended*. (* so I thought at the time )

I can't say I really enjoyed the development process. It was a tremendous amount of work, and after 3 years of living my dreams, it felt even more exhausting. But at the same time, it was almost an obligation. For whatever reason, I simply had to get it out, and do it justice while doing so.

Once the interface design, operation logic, html templates, graphic assets, interactive map, and the complete design brief was ready, I recruited a programmer to write the Cocoa Touch code thinking that the hard part was over. Of course, I was wrong.

Here's the thing... There really is no need for advice. If you can get out the door, you've accomplished the hardest task. Rest will come a day at a time. The world really is not out to get you. Be a good person, relax, and give it a chance to show you a good time.